Sweet potato pudding - Boniatillo

 

Servings: 

5

Ingredients: 

2 pounds sweet potatoes
2 pounds refined sugar
2 cups water
½ lemon
4 egg yolks
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons dry wine
ground cinnamon

Cooking instructions: 

Peel the sweet potatoes and boil them in water with a pinch of salt. Boil the water with the sugar and the lemon juice. When it comes to a boil add the syrup, still hot, to the sweet potatoes also hot. Put it all back over the fire until it thickens slightly. Stir it to prevent it from sticking. Scoop some out and add the yolks to it before putting it back into the pot. Add the dry wine and the butter and let it simmer for a while, stirring constantly, until the desired consistency is reached. Pour it into a bowl or serving dishes and sprinkle with ground cinnamon.

Pork with red kidney beans - froijoles colorados con carne de puerco

 

Servings: 

8

Ingredients: 

½ kilogram red kidney beans
4 cups water
¼ teaspoons ground cumin
1 Seville orange
¼ kilogram boneless pork
2 cloves of garlic
1 ½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoons ground pepper
¼ teaspoon ground oregano
1/2 cup oil
1 large onion
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup sweet red peppers
¼ cup dry wine

Cooking instructions: 

Soak the beans in the 4 cups of water for about 2 hours. Chop the boneless pork into 5 or 6 cm. chunks.
Crush the cloves of garlic with the salt, the pepper, the oregano and the cumin; add the Seville orange juice and coat the pork with this marinade.
When the beans are puffy, cook in the same water they were soaked, for about 45 minutes (or 15 minutes if you are using a pressure cooker) or until they are a little tender.
Cook the boneless pork with the marinade until dry.
Heat the oil and saute the chopped onion, then add the chopped pepper; saute for a few minutes; add the tomato sauce, the ground sweet red peppers and the dry wine.
Combine the beans, the pork and the sauce; cook over low heat, well covered, for about ½ an hour.

Notes: 

To replace the sweet red pepper, you can use red peppers roasted and peeled or pepper paste.

Cafe Cubano - Cuban Coffee

There are two methods to making coffee the Cuban way: the traditional method using a metal stovetop espresso pot, or with an electric espresso machine. While the stovetop method takes longer, its certainly the authentic method, you can find a stovetop espresso maker at most online Cuban store websites.

1. Using an espresso machine, add the desired amount of finely ground coffee, common Cuban style brands include Bustelo, Pilon and La LLave (I'm partial to Bustelo supreme, I buy the Cuban brands online from the Cuban Food Market). You can also purchase fresh whole coffee beans from supermarkets like Albertson's or Whole Foods, any of the very dark roast Colombian brands will work best for Cuban coffee. I used to grind whole beans there at the store so that it is fine, fresh and ready to be made (espresso grind setting), I eventually bought my own small grinder.

Do NOT store your ground coffee in a freezer, but do keep it in a cool place away from sunlight.
2. For every demitasse cup of coffee you plan on making, use a teaspoon of sugar. The key to Cuban coffee is that it be very sweet. The trick here is to put the sugar into the glass carafe before you even brew the coffee.

3. Brew the coffee just as you would an espresso. The coffee will pour over the sugar in the carafe as it begins to brew. After it is finished filling the carafe, stir it briskly as there will still be a little undissolved sugar. Pour the coffee into several demitasse cups and enjoy.

* For Cafe con Leche, simply use 2 parts Cuban Coffee to 1 part steamed milk

Bistec Empanizado - Cuban Breaded Steak

4 steaks (1/4 inch thick)
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 tbsp fresh garlic, minced
1/4 cup sour orange juice
1/4 tsp salt
4 eggs, beaten well
1 cup finely ground crackers,breadcrumbs or panko salt to taste
 A little flour
Olive oil


Sprinkle steaks with chopped onion, garlic, orange juice and salt. Rub garlic into meat. Marinate for a few hours in the refrigerator. Brush off the onion pieces and dip each steak into the egg to make sure its fully coated.

 

Dip the steak into the crackers, making sure that the ground crackers completely cover the steak. Fry the steaks in cooking oil on medium heat until golden brown and well done.

Pudin Diplomatico - Cuban Bread Pudding

1 lb bread, white or wheat
1 cup raisins
2 tsp dry white wine
4 eggs
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 pinch salt, optional
1 12 oz can fruit cocktail (or make your own mixed fruit cocktail)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 1/2 cups milk
2 tsp brandy or Kahlua
1 cup melted butter

Caramel to cover mold (*)

 Preparation:

In a food processor, finely chop the bread and place in a large bowl. Mix with the other ingredients including the fruit cocktail with its syrup. Stir well to be sure to dissolve the sugar. Place the mixture in a caramel covered mold (*).

Cook in oven at 375 degrees F for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry. Let cool before serving. Cut in small pieces.

(*) To line the mold with caramel:
1/2 cup sugar
a few drops (scant) water

Place mold on burner and dissolve sugar until it turns a nice light brown color. Rotate the mold to coat all sides and bottom with the caramel.

Serves 6.

Lechon asado

If you can't go to the trouble of a full backyard pig roast on Noche Buena, you can go for this easier alternative that can be cooked in an oven, a 10lb  suckling pig.


10 lb whole suckling pig
3 cups fresh squeezed orange juice
1 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (6-8 medium limes)
12 garlic cloves
1 onion
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp oregano
2 tbsp olive oil
4 bay leaves

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Wearing rubber gloves to protect your hands, hold pig by head and submerge as much of body as possible in water for 1 minute. Remove, reverse pig and, holding tail end, submerge head and as much of body as possible, 1 minute. Place in a snug-fitting, non-reactive pan and pour orange and lime juice over and inside pig.

In a food processor combine garlic, onion and salt. Add oregano and olive oil and process to a paste. Smear inside and out of pig with garlic paste and scatter with bay leaves. Tightly cover pig with plastic wrap and marinate, refrigerated, 48 hours, turning occasionally.

Preheat oven to 200 degree. Transfer pig to a large roasting pan. Pull hind legs forward toward head and prop it up so its back is up and it is sitting on its hind legs. Open mouth a stuff with crumpled aluminum foil. Roast pig 12 to 13 hours, basting with marinade every hour. A meat thermometer inserted in thickest part will register 190 degrees. To brown and crisp skin, turn heat up to 350 degrees for last 1/2 hour of cooking. Let sit, loosely covered with foil, 1/2 hour before carving.

Yield: 8 servings.

 

Crema De Vie - Cuban Egg Nogg

Ingredients:

One can condensed milk
One can rum
one can simple sugar syrup (**)

(**)using the empty condensed milk can, mix:
Two cans white sugar
one can water
lemon rind
cinnamon stick
Boil until it becomes a syrup. Let cool and discard cinnamon stick and lemon rinds.

 Mix all ingredients in a bottle along with two egg yolks (whipped) and two or three large sticks of cinnamon.

Refrigerate for two or three days and it is ready to drink.

WARNING: It is SWEET and it can be habit forming (you just can't put it down). Serve in shot glasses and sip. It is good anytime.

SAFE EGG YOLKS:

Heat 2 egg yolks and 1/4 cup of liquid from the recipe, add 1/2 tsp sugar in a small skillet over very low heat, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan constantly with a spatula. At the first sign of thickening, remove the pan from the heat, but continue stirring and dip the pan bottom in a larger pan of cold water to stop the cooking. Use in the recipe instead of raw yolks.

Destroying bacteria is a matter of both time and temperature. You do not even have to get the yolks to the salmonella instant-kill temperature of 160oF (71oC). Holding them at slightly lower temperatures for several minutes is just as effective. Yolks are pasteurized by holding them for 3.5 minutes at 140oF (60oC), which is not very hot- hot tap water is in this range. Eggs don't scramble (cook) until about 180oF (82oC). So there is some margin here.

 

PS- It is well worth the effort to go through the pasteurization of the eggs. The Crema de Vie is very good!

Torticas de Navidad – Cuban Christmas Cookies

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 12 minutes
Total time: 22 minutes
Yield: 2 dozen

1 cup butter
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups corn flakes lightly crushed into small pieces, NOT crumbs
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup raisins
1/3 cup chopped maraschino cherries (you should have enough in the jar below)
1 (14-ounce) jar maraschino cherries

 Preheat oven at 375°F
Use an electric mixture to cream the butter and sugar together in a small bowl. Gradually add the eggs and vanilla.
Sift together the flour, baking power, baking soda, and salt. Add these dry ingredients to the creamed sugar and mix well. Use a spatula to gently fold in the walnuts, raisins, and maraschino cherries.
To make the cookies
Take a teaspoon of dough and roll it in the corn flakes. Place the cookies on a greased pan. Put one maraschino cherry in the center of each cookie.
Bake for 10 to 14 minutes.

Huevos Cubanos

Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes
Yield: 4 servings


INGREDIENTS:
8 hard-boiled eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 tablespoon cream
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 medium onion, minced
1 green pepper, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil for sautéing
1 (16-ounce) can tomato sauce
cilantro leaves, chopped

 

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Peel eggs and cut in half lengthwise. Remove yolks. In a small bowl, mash the yolks and add a little cream to make a thick paste. Mash in the seasonings and half of the cheese. Use a spoon (or pastry bag if you want to be fancy) to stuff the yolk mixture back into the egg halves.
Sauté the onion and green pepper in olive oil until limp. Add the minced garlic, sauté an additional two minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce and cook briefly. Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper as necessary.
Place stuffed eggs in shallow baking dish or cake pan. Pour the sauce over the stuffed eggs and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 400 for about 15 minutes.
Traditionally served over white rice.

Pescados Asado

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Yield: 6 servings



INGREDIENTS:
Fish Fillets:
3 pounds salmon, snapper, swordfish, yellowtail anything you like with the skin on. We love to make this with a large 2 to 3-pound salmon filet. If you use smaller fish, consider grilling an individual filet for each of your guests.
Marinade
1/2 cup olive oil
Juice of one lime
Juice of one lemon
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon oregano
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

 Put everything (except the fish!) in a non-metallic bowl and mix with a spoon.
Place fish in a shallow non-metallic pan and cover with the marinade. Cover pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for no more than 2 hours. Remove fish from marinade.
Make sure your grill surface is clean and well oiled. Set up your gas or charcoal grill so that you have a section of grill surface with no source of direct heat beneath it. (Bank the coals to the side of a charcoal grill, or turn off the middle or end burners on a gas grill.)
Drizzle a little olive oil on the fillet and place it on the hot side of the grill skin side up just long enough to put some nice grill marks on the flesh.
Then carefully use a steel spatula to flip the fillet skin-side down on the cooler section of the grill. Try to cook the fish at a low heat – "low and slow" is definitely the way to go!
Cover your grill and continue cooking until the fish flakes with a fork. Keep an eye on the fish so it doesn't burn. Salt and pepper to taste.
Allow approximately 1/2 to 3/4 pound per person depending on your side dishes. The marinade recipe makes enough for approximately three pounds of fish fillets

Camarones para una boda Cubana

Prep time: 9 minutes
Cook time: 6 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings



INGREDIENTS:
Sauce
1/2 cup dark rum
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
Shrimp
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup onion, slivered
1/2 cup green pepper, slivered
4 tablespoons olive oil (enough to thinly cover your pan)
8 jumbo shrimp (8-12 count size per pound), peeled, de-veined, and butterflied
Salt (to taste)
Red pepper flakes (to taste)

  In a small bowl, whisk together the rum, orange juice, vinegar, brown sugar, and salt. Set aside.
In a large fry pan with a tight fitting lid, sauté the onion and green pepper in the olive oil for just a minute or two on medium-high heat. Toss in the shrimp and the garlic and fry for two minutes longer, NO MORE, NO LESS, turning frequently. Add the mixed liquids, cover the pan tightly, and remove from heat. Let stand for five minutes, away from heat, covered tightly. No peeking!
Next, remove the shrimp and vegetables from the liquids in the pan and refrigerate, covered, until well chilled.
Reserve liquid in the pan and bring to a rapid boil under high heat. Stirring occasionally, boil the sauce until it reduces about 50 percent. The sauce should be thicker than water, but not syrupy! Run the sauce through a strainer and refrigerate until completely chilled.

Serve by plating individual servings – two jumbo shrimp on a bed of the onions and green peppers. Ladle some of the chilled sauce on each plate, just enough to make a small pool. Sprinkle each plate with a pinch of salt (trust us on this one) and some red pepper flakes – just enough to give it a little color.

Avocado and Pineapple Salad

Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes
Yield: 6-8 servings


INGREDIENTS:
1/3 cup vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups of fresh pineapple chunks
2 large avocados, peeled and sliced
1 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 medium sweet red onion, sliced thin

Combine olive oil, vinegar, orange juice, and sugar in a blender until smooth. Add salt and pepper to this mixture to taste.
Lightly toss the lettuce, pineapple, and red onion together.
Pour on the oil and vinegar mixture until everything is well coated. Adjust the amount used to your own preference, more or less.
Garnish individual salads with several avocado slices lightly seasoned with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lime juice.

Torticas de Guayaba – Guava and Peanut Butter Cookies

Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes
Yield: 2 dozen



INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup shortening (Butter-flavored Crisco works great!)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Filling:
1 (17-ounce jar) guava jelly (more or less)

  Preheat oven to 375°F.
Beat peanut butter, shortening and both sugars until well blended. Beat in the egg. Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.
Shape dough into one-inch balls. Place on a cookie sheet two inches apart. Place thumb in center of each ball to make an indentation (or use the handle of a wooden spoon). Bake 8-10 minutes or until just set.
Remove from oven. Immediately fill centers with guava jelly (placing the jelly in a plastic bottle with a cone tip makes filling the centers easier).
Cool 10 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet.

Canchanchara

Prep time: 5 minutes
Total time: 5 minutes
Yield: 1 drink


INGREDIENTS:
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 ounces white rum
crushed ice

Mix the lime juice with the honey and white rum until the honey dissolves.

Put everything into a cocktail shaker with crushed ice.

Shake well with the ice and strain into a champagne glass, on the rocks or straight up, your choice.

In Cuba, the most typical version of this drink uses a very crude, unfinished rum called Aguardiente

Calabaza on the Grill – Calabaza a la Parilla

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings



INGREDIENTS:
1 medium calabaza (See instructions below)
1/3 cup Spanish olive oil
3 tablespoons white vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Cut the calabaza in half and remove all the seeds and fibers. Slice the calabaza as you would a cantaloupe and remove the rind. Whisk the olive oil with the vinegar. Drizzle this oil mixture over the calabaza slices. Salt and pepper to taste. Grill calabaza outdoors on the barbecue, brushing occasionally with the oil.
Slices are done when they are tender and lightly browned.

Ajiaco Criollo–Cuban Country-Style Stew

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 2 hours
Total time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Yield: 4-6 servings.


INGREDIENTS:
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 slices smoked bacon
6 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin on
3/4 pound pork loin , cut into bite-size pieces
3/4 pound skirt or flank steak> , cut into bite-size pieces
3 cups beef stock
3 cups ham stock
1 1/2 cups red wine
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
3 tablespoons Spanish paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1 cup malanga, cubed
1 cup boniato, cubed
1 cup yuca, cubed
1 cup calabaza, cubed
2 ears fresh sweet corn, husked
1 green plantain
1 semi-ripe plantain (starting to get black)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup cornstarch mixed with 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup cream

  Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the bacon until most of the oil is released; remove bacon from pan.
Lightly salt and pepper the chicken, pork, and beef. Dredge in flour; brown the meat (chicken first) in the hot, bacon-flavored oil. Remove the browned meats from the oil.
Put all the meats (including the bacon) in a large, heavy 8-quart stockpot; add the beef and ham stocks and red wine. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 1 hour.
Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onion and green pepper until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic, paprika, salt, pepper, cumin, and tomatoes, and cook for about 5 minutes. At about the 45-minute point in the cooking, add this sautéed vegetable mixture and the bay leaf to the cooking meat and the broth in the stockpot. Let simmer for 15 minutes while you peel and cut the vegetables.
Peel the malanga, boniato, yuca, and calabaza; cut into cubes and add to the broth. Cut the corn and plantains into 2-inch chunks. Add the corn and green plantains to the simmering stew.
After about 20 minutes, add the semi-ripe plantains and the lime juice; continue cooking for an additional 20 to 30 minutes. The plantain and root vegetables need to be tender!
Thicken the stew slightly by whisking in the cornstarch mixed with water.
Just before serving, stir in the cream.
Serve hot in large bowls with Pan Cubano–Cuban Bread.

Chicharrones de Pollo – Cuban-Style Chicken Strips

Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
Yield: 4 servings


INGREDIENTS:
6 cloves garlic, mashed
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup light rum
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs , cut in strips
Salt
Pepper
Cumin
Oregano, ground
Vegetable oil for frying
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water

Make a marinade with the garlic, onion, lime juice, and rum.
Arrange the chicken pieces in a shallow glass baking pan. Pour the marinade over the chicken pieces and mix them up so that all of the pieces are well coated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 2 to 3 hours.
After marinating: season the chicken pieces on the top layer by eye with salt, pepper, cumin, and oregano.
TIP: Use a mortar and pestle and finely grind the oregano.
Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet, deep enough to cover half the thickness of the chicken at one time.
Mix the flour with the salt and pepper and place in a shallow pan.
Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade (shaking off some of the excess marinade), dip each piece in the egg wash, and dredge in the seasoned flour mixture. (As you work down a layer, re-season the newly exposed layer with more salt, pepper, oregano, and cumin.)
Fry the chicken pieces, in small batches – don't crowd the pan – until all sides are golden brown and the chicken is completely cooked through.
Serve with rice or another side dish.